The present invention relates to flexible extendable screen doors that extend from a retracted position to an open or extracted position. In particular, the present invention candy retrofitted to existing exterior doors that have peripheral moldings with outer surfaces that have nonplanar properties or not aligned in a plane defined by the vertical and lateral axis.
During warm weather, homeowners desire to have fresh air enter their houses without the burden of insects or debris from trees and foliage entering their houses. It is common to use screen doors to allow fresh air to enter a household. Prior art screen doors are either inflexible sliding members or flexible extracted versions. The apparatus the present invention relates to flexible extracted type screen doors.
The prior art extractable screen doors are ill-equipped to be retrofitted to many existing moldings of exterior hinged doors. The prior art extractable doors fail to provide bracketing members that provide support and rigidity to the screen. Further, the prior art screen doors lack various features that will be further understood with the detailed description of the preferred embodiment.
A search of the patent literature has a number of patents directed toward these problems, these being the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 27,103 Burchell, shows a screen system where Roller B is attached to the upper part of the frame. The rods axe2x80x2 are secured to the frame at the stiles b, and tubes c house the rods axe2x80x2. The lower end of the net C is surrounded by members e and f which appeared to be pieces of wood which are bound together by screws i.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,604,054 Kuyper, shows in FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken at line 6xe2x80x946 of FIG. 1 where it is seen that tracks 17 house the guide portion 16 which are attached to the screen 13 and the binder 14. FIGS. 4 and 5 shows another mounting method were clipped 22 is formed within the plaster 20 and is adapted to receive the tracks 17 within the sides 23.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,560,397 Tims, shows an awning that has a front oblique panel 9 and side panels 10. The spring roller 18 holds the shade 17. As seen in FIG. 2, the bolt court 21 extends around central pole 22 to allow the shade 17 to be withdrawn an upright position.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,116,097 Novales, shows a curtain assembly where the guides 28 pivot 90 degrees to opposition shown in FIG. 3 so they can roll up as seen in FIG. 2. You can see in FIG. 2 that the parallel members 18 can only be mounted to a flat window frame 10.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,797 Lange, has a screen system which is the seen in FIG. 3. The screen is extracted from the housing 4. As seen in FIG. 2, the screen is latched by anchoring pin 32.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,786 Johnston discloses a slidable screen door system that is best seen in FIG. 6. Apparently, wheels 24 glide along the track 23 in the track hangar 22. As seen in FIG. 3, the boxlike enclosure 17 is mounted on the jam 12. There is disclosure of how this would be mounted upon a non flat surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,244 Thumann, shows a retractable covering for a door that is mounted to the side of a door. As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the housing 24 is attached to the first molding 18 and the rigid side member 100 is withdrawn an attached to the V-shaped groove 120 of the latching strip 114.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,704 Elrod, shows a roll up screen door which is secured in place by number of threaded high fasteners 18.
It will become apparent in the discussion below that the apparatus of the present invention has numerous improvements over the prior art designs. Namely, the prior art fails to disclose a system that can be retrofitted to doorframes with various outer surfaces of the moldings.
The present invention comprises a retractable screen system adapted to be mounted to an opening defining structure, such a doorway or window structure, where the opening defining structure comprises upper and lower structure members and first and second side structure members.
The system comprises upper and lower bracketing members adapted to be mounted to the opening structure at upper and lower locations adjacent to the upper and lower structure members.
The system also comprises a generally vertically aligned screen retaining and dispensing assembly adapted to be mounted at a side mounting location adjacent to said first side structure member. The two bracketing members and the screen retaining and dispensing assembly can collectively be considered to constitute a perimeter frame extending around a substantial portion of the opening of the opening defining structure, when the retractable screen system is in place.
Each of the bracketing members has a lateral axis and further comprises a connecting portion and a slideway portion. The connecting portion connects the bracketing member to the opening defining structure, while the slideway portion defines a laterally aligned slideway.
The retaining and dispensing assembly comprises a screen housing, and also a screen member having inner and outer vertically aligned screen edge portions and upper and lower horizontally aligned screen edge portions.
The retaining and dispensing assembly also comprises a dispensing and retaining mechanism mounted to the housing and having a rotatable portion connected to the screen inner edge portion. This dispensing and retracting mechanism is arranged to be able to retain the screen member in a rolled up retained position and enable the screen member to be extended from the retained position to its extended positions.
The slideway portions of the upper and lower bracketing members are arranged to engage the upper and lower screen edge portions, respectively, in retaining engagement. The slideways are aligned relative to the retaining and dispensing assembly so that the upper and lower screen edge portions can be extended and retracted from the retaining and dispensing assembly along the slideways of the upper and lower bracketing members to the extended position and then retracted from the extended position along the slideways to the retracted position.
The retaining and dispensing assembly comprises a screen housing connecting portion which is fixedly connected to the opening defining structure and a detachable screen housing portion which is revocably mounted to the screen housing connecting portion. Thus, the detachable screen housing portion, along with the screen member and the dispensing and retracting mechanism, can be removed as a unit from the screen housing connecting portion, and also be reconnected to said screen housing connecting portion. This enables the screen member along with its associated components to be removed and replaced into the system for various purposes, such as repair or replacement of the screen member.
In a preferred form, the detachable screen housing portion has first and second connecting regions. The first connecting region is adjacent to a location at which the screen member extends from the screen housing, and the second connecting region is spaced laterally from the first connecting region. Thus, the detachable screen housing portion can be mounted to the fixed connecting portion by first engaging the first connecting region to the fixed connecting portion to properly position the screen member, and then the second connecting region can be connected.
The screen housing further comprises upper and lower end caps, at which the first and second connecting regions are positioned, by which connection is made to the dispensing and retracting mechanism.
Also, the dispensing and retracting mechanism comprises a retracting spring member having a first connecting end connected to the rotatable portion of the dispensing and retracting mechanism, and a second connecting end, which is connected to an adjusting member which can be moved to selective positions so as to either relax the spring member or create increased stress on the spring member. Thus it is able to adjust a tension force on the screen member.
In a preferred form, the connecting member has a protruding connecting portion which extends into an end of the first and second slideway portions so as to come into engagement with matching connecting portions of the first and second slideway portions.
Each slideway portion of the first and second bracketing members defines a related elongate slot of a first width dimension, and having a slideway chamber communicating with the slot and having a lateral dimension greater than the width dimension of its related slot. Each of the upper and lower edge portions of the screen have connected thereto spaced connecting members having thickness dimensions greater than the first width dimension of its related slot, but able to be positioned within the related slot chamber. Thus the connecting members are positioned within the slot chamber and the screen member extends through the slot, so that the edge portions of the screen are retained in the upper and lower slideways.
Each of the connecting members has a first connecting portion of a first hardness level, and a second laterally yielding connecting portion, and further has a width dimension of the connecting member at the location of the yielding portion greater than the width dimension of its related slot. The connecting portions are arranged so that with a force being imposed on the screen member so as to tend to pull the screen edge portion out of its related slot, the yielding portion of the connecting member is able to be compressed to permit the connecting member to move through the slot. Thus a problem of impact on the screen member causing damage to the screen member is at least alleviated by the connecting portions being released upon encountering the impact force.
In a preferred form, each of the connecting members comprises, prior to being connected to its related screen member a plurality of connecting fingers extending outwardly from the connecting member. The fingers provide connections by the connecting fingers being deformed from their original extending position to make a connection through the screen member. In a preferred form, the fingers of the connecting member are made of thermally deformable material. Thus, after the connecting members are positioned relative to the screen member so that the fingers extend through the screen member, heat can be applied to the fingers to cause deformation of the fingers and connection to the screen member.
Also, the spacing of the connecting members along the length of the upper and lower screen edge portions is such, relative to the positioning of the connecting members with the screen member in its retracted position, so that most of the connecting members are out of radial alignment with one another. Thus, the screen member in its rolled up retained position occupies less space.
Also, the outer edge portion of the screen member has at upper and lower locations connecting members to retain the screen member in its extended position, and the end connecting members of the upper and lower bracketing members have laterally extending connecting portions which are positioned so as to come into releasable connecting engagement with the connecting members on the screen member.
At least one of the upper bracketing member, lower bracketing member and the screen housing has a mounting portion which provides for connection to the opening defining structure. The system further comprises one or more connectors adapted to connect the mounting portion to the opening defining structure in a manner that the mounting portion could have one or more portions spaced from the opening defining structure so as to properly align the mounting structure. Each connector comprises a screw member having a head and a shank, with the shank having an outer end threaded portion of a smaller diameter further from the head and an inner threaded shank portion of a greater diameter positioned closer to the head. The screw member is positioned so that the outer threaded end portion is threaded into engagement with the opening defining structure to a predetermined depth, and the inner larger diameter threaded portion is engaged with the mounting structure at a location on the threaded member so that the mounting member is properly positioned. Thus, proper angular alignment can be obtained, and the system of the present invention is able to be mounted to an opening defining structure having various alignments and surface arrangements thereon.
In the preferred form, there is a plurality of such connecting members connecting the mounting structure to the opening defining structure.
The present invention is a retractable flexible screen system adapted to be fitted to a door frame that has lateral sections and upper and lower sections. The retractable flexible screen system comprises a housing that has an upper and lower portion. The housing has a first connection portion located in the lower portion of the housing and a second connection portion that has a surface defining a substantially circular open region that is adapted to engage first threaded portion of an attachment screw. The first threaded portion is located on the head portion of the screw. The shaft portion of the attachment screw has a second threaded portion having a smaller circumference which freely passes through the second connection portion of the housing. The housing further has a third connection portion located in the upper portion of the housing. The interior surface of the housing defines at least a partial interior chamber.
The apparatus further comprises a lower bracket that has a laterally extending mounting region adapted to be rigidly mounted to the lower sill of the doorframe. The lower bracket further has a surface defining a laterally extending gap or slideway and a mounting region that is adapted to be mounted to the first connection portion of the housing. Finally, the lower bracket has an inner surface that defines a chamber.
The apparatus further has an upper bracket having a connection portion that is adapted to be rigidly managed to the upper portion of the doorframe. A longitudinally extending surface defines a laterally extending gap. The upper bracket has a mounting region adapted to be mounted to the third connection portion of the housing. And inner surface located in the upper bracket defines a chamber.
The apparatus further has a retractable screen having an upper portion and lower portion. The screen further has a connection portion and a lateral portion where a substantially vertical brace is attached thereto and the connection portion is attached to a substantially vertical roll. The substantially vertical roll is comprises a spring bias seen system adapted to retract the retractable screen. The upper portion of the screen is adapted to extend in the chamber of the upper mounting bracket and the lower portion of the screen is adapted to extend in the chamber of the lower bracket. The substantially vertical brace is adapted to be displaced laterally in the screen withdrawn from the housing.
The lower mounting bracket has an outer casing rigidly attached to a laterally extending mounting region and has an interior surface adapted to house and inner elongate member having a surface that at least partially defines a cylinder and is adapted to rotate about a substantially lateral axis. The inner elongate member has a surface defining the laterally extending gap of the lower bracket.
The housing comprises a first member fixedly attached to the molding of the doorframe and a second member is adapted to the attached thereto.
The lower portion of the screen has a plurality of buttons that extend in the forward direction a distance that is slightly greater than the forward gap distance of the laterally extending gap of the lower bracket. The buttons are adapted to pass through the laterally extending gap or slideway when excessive tension is applied to the screen.
A dual threaded screw is employed to mounting a vertical brace to a door molding where the threads on the shaft portion of the screw have an outside diameter that is smaller than the engagement surface. Further, the threaded head portion of the screw has an outside diameter greater than the shaft portion and the head portion is adapted to frictionaly engage an engagement surface.